Hos 5:11 Ephraim is oppressed, broken as a judgment, because he was keen to walk after garbage.
Hos 5:12 But I am like a moth to Ephraim, and like rottenness to the house of Judah.
Hos 5:13 When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his boil, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to the great king. But he is not able to cure you or heal your wound.
Hos 5:14 Because I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear in and go away; I will carry off, and no one will rescue.
Hos 5:15 I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress eagerly search for me.

the moth lion

The prophet mixes similes as he describes the LORD’s behavior toward Israel and Judah. The slow eating away and decay of a moth, and sickness, is soon discarded for a young lion, which tears off bits of flesh and takes it away. Hosea wants his people to know that the ordeal and oppression they are facing is God’s doing. He wants them to return to the God with whom they have covenanted, because that is the only way to restore their relationship with God, and their spiritual health.